NAME: Green Flash West Coast IPA
TYPE: West Coast IPA, duh (Double IPA)
ORIGIN: San Diego, CA
ABV: 8.10%
REVIEW: Green Flash West Coast IPA. Light amber color, orange zest and pine on the nose, bitter throughout, strong citrus notes, medium body, short, bitter finish. Get ready, this beer packs a punch.
goodwilltasting grade: B+
NAME: Maine Beer Company Mean Old Tom
TYPE: Stout (aged on vanilla beans)
ORIGIN: Freeport, ME
ABV: 6.5%
REVIEW: Jet black pour with a creamy, khaki head. Roasty, malty smell, medium-light bodied stout. Toasty, slightl burnt taste with subtle coffee notes and just a hint of vanilla at the end. To be honest I expected a little more, but still I’d choose this over Guinness. And yes, it would go well with my wife’s delicious chocolate chip cookies.
goodwilltasting grade: B-
NAME: Maine Beer Company Lunch (draught)
TYPE: American IPA
ORIGIN: Freeport, ME
ABV: 7.2%
REVIEW: Golden Brown color with crisp head. Pine on the nose, hoppy citrus notes, crisp mouthfeel, slightly more viscous than a San Diego IPA. Feels like a hybrid of English and American style IPAs if you ask me.
goodwilltasting grade: B+
NAME: Heavy Seas Small Craft Warning “Über Pils”
TYPE: Strong Pilsner (Bock Lager)
ORIGIN: Baltimore, MD
ABV: 7.0% ABV
REVIEW: Golden brown color, sharp, bitter hop taste with a sweet malty finish, bubbly mouthfeel.
goodwilltasting grade: C+
NAME: Long Trail IPA
TYPE: English IPA
ORIGIN: Bridgewater Corners, VT
ABV: 5.9%
REVIEW: Drank from the bottle so not sure about appearance, but smell has a subtle hop nose, faint pine and very floral on the tongue, weird biscuit-y mouthfeel, bitter finish with an unpleasant aftertaste. This beer pretty much solidifies my distaste for English-style IPAs. Try again, Long Trail.
goodwill tasting grade: C-
More adventures with European beers!
NAME: Birrificio Del Ducato Verdi
TYPE: Imperial Stout (brewed with chilies)
ORIGIN: Gruppo, Italy
ABV: 8.2%
REVIEW: Pours black with a foamy, cream colored head. Nutty, roasted smell, rich chocolate taste, creamy mouthfeel, sweet finish with a touch of heat at the end, both from the chili and from the booze. It’s the Mexican hot chocolate of beers. But from Italy. Delicious.
goodwilltasting grade: A-
NAME: Magic Hat Séance Saison Ale
TYPE: Seasonal Saison
ORIGIN: Burlington, VT
ABV: 4.4%
REVIEW: Dark caramel cola color, bubbly head. Deep malty toffee smell, slightly sweet and herby taste with a short, flat finish. Smelled better than it tasted. Overall just a really underwhelming beer. After trying this and 21st Amendment’s Sneak Attack I decided that people need to stop trying to make fall/winter saisons. Keep ’em bright and summery the way nature intended!
goodwilltasting grade: C-
Brew Dog Hardcore IPA. Scotland. 9.2% ABV
Dark amber color, aggressively hop-forward, rich bodied, short bittersweet finish.
goodwilltasting grade: B+
goodwilltasting 